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Oxford Blue Smokehouse is permanently closed

Oxford Blue Smokehouse

Speciality meat, much slow-cooked and with a heavy BBQ slant, Oxford Blue Smokehouse is the latest addition to Oxford's burgeoning American ...

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Speciality meat, much slow-cooked and with a heavy BBQ slant, Oxford Blue Smokehouse is the latest addition to Oxford's burgeoning American food scene. Sister to the Chequers Smokehouse in Witney, this new palace of meat (and to a certain extent, cheese, and to a distinctly less certain extent, vegetables) promises patient expertise alongside enormous wood-smokers. Get it while it's hot!

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Reviews

American-style BBQ is about dedication. It is about the right cut of meat and the hours of preparation that goes into it before it reaches the plate. And tucked away between Iffley Road and Cowley Road is the Oxford Blue Smokehouse (complete with smoker in its garden area). It is the perfect destination for any meat lover, complete with a welcoming atmosphere and a selection of 50s & 60s era songs that were fabulous.

Portions range from the approachable to the excessive. As it was a Saturday lunchtime we resisted the call of The Big Smoke Platter (two kinds of ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sausages, burnt ends AND honey roasted chicken... wow) and instead plumped for a combo each. My partner picked a quarter chicken, Jacob's Ladder (beef ribs), and pulled pork with a side of burnt ends (chunks of brisket meat), while I picked beef brisket, pulled pork and burnt ends with a side of Mac & cheese. I am a firm believer that all BBQs are only perfected with the addition of Mac & cheese! We complemented our orders with a diet coke for my wife and a mint Aero milkshake (there are a range of chocolate flavours to pick from).

When our food arrived it was quickly apparent we had picked very good items from the menu. The chicken was noticeably juicy and flavoursome while the pulled pork was a very good example of an ever-so-popular dish. While the Jacob's Ladder didn't quite cause my wife to forgo her love for baby back ribs, the burnt ends got an appreciative exclamation of "huge!" and were delicious, hefty chunks of meat. Her one improvement would be the BBQ sauce out on the table as a condiment; surely a compliment for the sauce itself. As for my meal, the brisket was delicious, tender and easy to pull apart (proof of dedication to the BBQ-ing process), while the pulled pork and, in particular, the burnt ends, were great accomplishments. And the Mac & Cheese was a very tasty side, affirming my belief in its importance. Overall our mains were delicious, served in portion sizes that almost defeated us. Yet we found room for a pudding...

And there are a number of tasty options in this department. I went for the Oreo cheesecake, while my co-eater went for a Daim ice cream sundae. The cheesecake was tasty and surprisingly light for a cheesecake, which was much appreciated. The ice cream sundae was appreciated by both my wife and our young daughter, complete with hefty chunks of chocolate amongst the ice cream and sauce.

The food at Oxford Blue Smokehouse is great, with the menu promising food for many subsequent trips. The staff are polite and friendly, but it felt understaffed, particularly when it came to paying our bill (as there were a number of other diners with requests and orders). I also managed to learn about the lovely floor tiles in the men's bathroom as this was where I had to change our daughter's nappy. This was due to a lack of any baby change facilities, as well as no disabled toilets. Certainly a necessity that feels missing from this establishment. Still the food and atmosphere won the day and it is a restaurant I will definitely return to.

The Oxford Blue Smokehouse is the newest meat joint in the Cowley area. The owners – who also run a smokehouse in Witney – have recently expanded into Oxford, taking the place of the old Oxford Blue pub (a canonical institution that had sadly fallen into disrepair.)

The outside is bright and pleasing, lighting up Marston St like a blue and white beacon.

We walk in and are surrounded by pig. Pigs on the wall. Pigs both in and on the menu. The party line is clear: we do meat here. (Even the wine list is divided into little stencils of animals; white in a chicken, red in a cow, etc).

The effusion of the meat decór is notable but not necessarily overboard. In fact, it nicely complements the historical heritage of a southern American cuisine. Especially concerning pigs. For the eighteenth and nineteenth century American family, salted pig was a necessity, providing perhaps the only meat over long cold winters. Farmers developed their own secret recipes for salting and curing, compiled of particular variants of honey, molasses, sugar, charcoal, mustard, etc. This proliferation of pig was such that it became a joke in its own time. One 'Dr. John S. Wilson', for example, wonderfully remarked that; "The United States may more properly be called the Great Hog Eating Confederacy or The Republic of Porkdom"
[1]

Fantastic renaming of the U.S. aside, the layout of the Oxford Blue Smokehouse does support its claims to American authenticity. The interior is set out like a traditional diner; all the lager and beer is American brands, there are bison horns and vintage Sailor Jerry's ads placed artfully next to the pig pictures.

For a mid-week evening, the restaurant is reasonably full. There are a few meanderers at the bar, with probably half the tables filled. We sit by the door (I've found the periphery the best place to watch the secret inners of the working world). The staff are friendly and accommodating - one of the party has a nut allergy, and they're more than happy to cater for this, double checking each dish.

Tables are of a decent size (a note important but often overlooked), and well-spaced. We note in trepidation the excessive amount of napkins on the table. The menu itself is satisfactorily dispersed. The majority of white space is given to the mains, and as name may suggest, the Smokehouse uses a custom made wood smoker for the meat.

For those vegetarian smokehouse goers, there is both vegetarian chilli and burger on offer, as well as a good selection of starters (fries, potato skins, mac and cheese, nachos). In terms of health/weight watching, there is regrettably no vegetarian salad. Though, to be fair, the only salad on the menu contains avocado, bacon and chicken (with ranch dressing). It seems pretty self-explanatory: the Smokehouse is not a place to head on a diet.

To start, we order BBQ chicken wings with sour cream, and corn on the cob with chilli butter. For mains, the 'combo' of 1/4 chicken, Jacob's Ladder and Pulled Pork, and the Homemade Veggie Chilli, with beetroot, mushroom and aubergine and homemade nachos and tomato rice. To drink, a bottle of white wine - even though it's placed on the fish - because sometimes you just have to rebel against zoological taxonomy.

The presentation of the food is in keeping with the classic diner trope; small bite-size pieces of corn, flecked with chilli, set in a traditional white and blue enamel bowl. The chicken wings arrive dripping in sauce. The number of napkins begins to look reasonable.

The reality does not disappoint; the wings are hot and spicy, and an absolute nightmare to eat attractively (precisely how it should be). The corn is a slight disappointment. The only vegetable in sight, they're smothered in butter and only vaguely spicy
. With the general acceptance of an artery-loading comradery on entry, I regret not plumping for the cream cheese stuffed jalapeños. The biggest problem, however, is that I am already starting to feel full.

Our mains arrive.

The 'combo' is a behemoth; served again in the classic enamel baking dish. The quarter chicken is, as my friend frankly puts it, "a lot of chicken". Coupled with the Jacob's Ladder, and pulled pork, it is the type of meal that requires a non-starter, non-pudding temperament. Sadly (or maybe gladly) we plan on having both, so we get to test the restaurant's doggie bag etiquette (they are more than happy to help).

In keeping with the heritage of the Southern pig, the pulled pork is the best thing on the plate (perhaps the work of the custom woodsmoker). The quarter/half/whole chicken is fine, but nothing particularly special. Jacob's Ladder, though deliciously succulent looking, does not quite live up to the look. Both the sides - coleslaw and sweet potato fries - are great.

The vegetarian chilli is steaming hot. I suspect that the kitchen have fallen foul of the credo that one can simply replace meat with spice, but that is still far better than the often-found tasteless counterpart (replacing meat with nothing whatsoever). The home-made nachos are huge and very exciting. Together with the chilli and tomato rice, it makes for a solid blend. I think I probably prefer the vegetarian chilli to the combo - which for a Smokehouse is not necessarily a good thing - but both meals are good. And as my frank friend (FF) remarks on the combo; 'it's meat, right'. And it is meat. Pretty good meat too. I would recommend this meat to my meat-eating friends. I
might not recommend the platter, simply because for £15.95, there are probably cheaper and better options on the considerable menu. For example, one could get the pulled pork for £9.95, and then a dessert, all for the price of one chicken.

And talking of dessert, we go all out. Oreo cheesecake (though really more of a highly enjoyable oreo and biscuit infused mousse), and churros with peanut butter dipping sauce. By this time we're so full that thoughts of portion size are inconsequential. The plan is to just keep eating until they stop providing.

We waddle out, content. I'm a bit confused about the target market they're pushing for. It's on the verge of a hipster hangout, but not quite. On the verge of all-out gluttony, but with cool metal chairs. There's the sense that it doesn't quite know what it wants to achieve. But these issues are workable, and not damning. I think that Dr. John S. Wilson would probably approve.

What we ate:

1 x Chilli Corn £5.00

1 x BBQ Chicken Wings £6.50

1 x 1/4 Chicken Combo £15.95

Sweet Pot Fries £1.50

1 x Veggie Chilli £9.00

1 x Oreo Cheesecake £5.00

1 x Churros £5.00

1 x Alto Bajo Bottle £17.50

[1] Quotation taken from Rick McDaniel's extensive work into American Cuisine; "An Irresistible History of Southern Food: Four Centuries of Black-eyed Peas". Chapter 6, The Incredible, Edible Pig.

American food is all the rage in East Oxford these days. First there was
Atomic Burger, with its Elvis-and-also-spaceships themed menu and all-American food gluttony chilli porn Eating Challenge. Next came Joe Perks & Co. and Big Society: sudden, almost simultaneous attempts to capitalise on the gourmet hot dog and pulled pork on everything movements. There was even, briefly, an American diner called Route 66 on the spot that Atomic Burger currently occupies: it ceased operations several months ago. Now there's a new barbecue-oriented addition to the canon on the former premises of the Oxford Blue pub. It promises to take matters to the next level by offering not just one, but a weekly-changing series of gargantuan eating challenges.

The furnishings of the
Oxford Blue Smokehouse make it very clear from the outset that a Point is being made. A vintage Fender Telecaster guitar and a banjo hang from one zeitgeisty corrugated iron wall. On the other side of the bar there's a pair of Texas Longhorn cattle horns as adornment and a poster informing customers that vegetarians are delicious if cooked correctly. Meat, needless to say, forms the heart, soul and probably most of the extremities of the Smokehouse's food philosophy. We can't help but wonder if the location was chosen in order to prey on the hunger of carnivorous athletes emerging from the Iffley Road sports ground.

When Daily Info inspected their offerings for a lunchtime takeaway, then, it was a pleasant surprise that the
Smokehouse Menu actually caters reasonably well to alternative diets. The resident coeliac in the office declared their dedicated Gluten Free section to be admirably varied, while our in-house vegetarian thought that the "Ultimate Grilled Cheese" sandwich (containing avocado, chilli, tomatoes and three different types of cheese) did a good job of living up to its name. The skinny, American-style fries were done very well: crunchy, moreish and perfectly salted. If fluffy British chips are more your thing, the chunky sweet potato fries come highly recommended.

Remarkably, for all its boasting, it is on its meat that the Smokehouse starts to fall down. The chicken, ribs and pulled pork in our BBQ meat combo had a pleasantly gentle, smoky sweetness but offered nothing special in the way of texture. A cajun chicken burger was judged to be tough, not particularly flavourful and notable only for the crispiness of its bacon garnish. The "Big Daddy" and "Big Pig" burgers were better: tender, well-cooked, and even more heavily laden with goodies than their names would suggest. The steak cuts in my Philly cheese steak were not at all bad, but the bun which harboured them was frankly mediocre: tasteless, mealy white bread with not much to recommend it.

A couple of qualifiers are necessary. Barbecued meat should ideally be eaten straight from the smoker, and even though the walk between the Daily Info office and Marston Street is hardly an onerous one, our takeaway probably couldn't replicate the freshness of an in-house meal. There are definitely positives, too. Portion sizes are generous and sandwiches stuffed, meaning it will be almost impossible to come away from a meal and not be pleasantly well-fed.

Still, we cannot help but feel a little disappointed by the food on offer at the Smokehouse, which promises a lot and only partially delivers. Here's hoping they get their eye in the game soon.

The Oxford Blue has changed into the Oxford Blue Smokehouse. Under new management from August 2015.

We took advantage of their ingenious individually targeted street discount coupons on main meals. We had our favourite Kirin beer (yum), she had a lovely steak with a fabulous ginger & soy dipping sauce & frites, I had the burger with great triple fried chips & onion chutney.

Plus points - great friendly staff, nice decor for a pub, & lovely clean toilets, minor niggles - my burger bun could have been better quality & toasted on the inside, & the cheese could have been real - not a processed slice. Simple, little, inexpensive improvements to ensure a better product.

Whilst short on time before going to see Patrick Wolf at St. John the Evangelist church we found ourselves at The Oxford Blue. I really liked the pub in it's previous guise; planned as a 'sports pub' but actually providing great food; great service and great value.

Now as more of a 'gastro-pub' it is managed by the people behind the closed-down Italian Tapas Bar in Walton Street, Jericho (to make way for the new Co-Op supermarket).

The place feels a little pretentious. Not overly welcoming; bar staff with very little idea about drink selection (never heard of 'Sailor Jerry'?!) - Yet some walls are decorated with glass cabinets full of posh 'museum' wine. A non-sense really.

An odd mixture of furnishings, some antique looking, some old cinema seats. It does not really work for character or comfort-ability.

There are also some random art-works on various walls and some items for sale such as a taxidermy sea-bird.

Drinks were an okay selection; one Ale when we went and fairly unadventurous at that (e.g. Oxford Gold).

Food-wise we both had 'Grilled Chicken Escalope with Frites, Rocket and Parmesan'.

The chicken was perfectly cooked; the frites very dry. The food was not terribly warm and we had to hunt for salt and pepper as no staff member was anywhere to be seen. No sauces were offered and no-one checked we were happy mid-meal.

All-in-all it was a pleasant meal in a rather uninspiring space. Mains were £11.50 each which is a lot for what was beautifully presented but under-whelming food.

Service: 2/5

Value: 3/5

Venue: 3/5

Food: 3/5

Total: 11/20

BarntheBarn6 Mar 2013

The Oxford Blue was my favourite discovery over summer and, on the few days of sunshine we had, sitting outside I thought it was a really marvellous addition to the Cowley Road (or just off!) gastropub cohort.

The food is excellent, I think I ate the Fried Chicken with their amazing sauce roughly once a week for a bit! Since then I have been back many times with friends and family and happily recommend it to people as a good call for somewhere to eat in Oxford. As others have mentioned the Pheasant Scotch Eggs are really fabulous and they usually have some pretty interesting specials on. The Sunday roast is also very good.

However, my partner is reluctant to dine there at the moment as the menu is quite small, they haven't changed it for some time now and there's nothing on there that he wants to eat! The Korean Lamb is really good but I feel like it's been on the menu forever and personally I think the Chicken Escalope is a poor substitute for the Fried Chicken. So please, Oxford Blue, get started on your spring menu soon; I want to come back!

Ate at the Blue a couple of weekends ago and have to say it was one of the best meals I've ever eaten in Oxford. I've eaten a number of times at local gastropubs but think they've now been bettered. Exactly what east Oxford needs: great wine list, attentive staff and Sagres on tap. What more could you want? EXCELLENT :)

Dav16 Jun 2012

Oxford Blue is an excellent gastropub - the food is absolutely incredible. The pheasant scotch eggs are to die for, and the purple sprouting broccoli with poached egg is perfect. I have been a few times now and have yet to be disappointed. The value is also incredible, and I have paid twice as much for food half as good in Oxford more than once.

The wines on offer are excellent, the staff and service are attentive and witty, and there's an outdoor seating area in the back that will be the perfect place for late summer evenings if this rain ever lets up.

There are also several great vegetarian options, for those that are looking for them.

Yes, a massive improvement. Had an excellent meal yesterday and it was half the price of the "gastropub" just down the road. Fabulous beer and a light, airy feel to the place where diners and drinkers are obviously equally welcome. I'll be back...

I recently had a Sunday roast at the Oxford Blue with my husband and sister, and it was brilliant. I would go as far as to say it was the best roast I have had in Oxford, having lived here for many years. This newly done up pub is a very welcome addition to the area. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Having known Chris Murray for some years and enjoyed his hospitality elsewhere we had some fairly high expectations - these were lived up to.

Taking three children into any pub can be an interesting idea. But the staff were exceptionally sweet and engaged with them throughout - even giving my eldest boy more custard to go with his pudding, and not getting annoyed when my youngest spilt his drink (a regular occurrence...)

The food itself was delicious. Of the six of us five had a roast beef main which was cooked bang on with a mix of good vegetables including sprouting and, unusually, plenty of gravy if desired. The wines were so good (lovely bottle of Tempranillo) that my wife and a friend had a Madeira with pudding which complemented the treacle tart and custard admirably.

I have seen a previous comment from someone about benches? These must have gone as we sat at a table in the bay window for several hours in some rather rustic but perfectly comfy wooden chairs (reminded me of school ever so slightly!), but more importantly the table heights were also just right - something I find is not the case, strangely, in all hostelries.

Overall my summary would be it's a great, calm and friendly place to spend a lunchtime and looking at the plans they have for events/ poker nights/ live music in the future it will develop into something people will travel some distance to sample. A big thumbs up and I look forward to a repeat visit soon.

Flatnose15 Apr 2012

Definitely worth a try - a few tweaks and this place could rival the best gastro pubs in Oxford - 7.5/10

So, husband and I were there this week.

When we walked in, you are immediately reassured - the place is nicely decked out. it has a calm, restrained grown-up feel about it. Think Scandinavian simplicity with a smattering of English quirk.

The staff were all charming and helpful: we wanted a different table than the one they had chosen and set for us, and there was no whisper of annoyance to moving us over across the pub.

Now while the place looks good, the old school chairs and benches were not very cosy - after an hour, I really just wanted to stand. My first suggestion to the manager is to get those replaced. The benches as well are narrow and without backs. So it isn't really conducive to a long leisurely evening.

We were there for dinner, and when we had ordered our starters, it would have been fab had they brought over some nice bread, olives or something to nibble. His welsh rarebit was ok, though i thought the worcestershire was a bit heavy-handed. My sauteed and dressed purple sprouting with poached egg however was almost perfect - but a sprinkle of sea salt brought it to its intended heights. Call me a carb fanatic, but a crust of bread here would have been perfect to mop up the lovely vinaigrette.

For mains, I ordered the special of braised shin of Beef with caramelised onions, carrots and mash. Now this was well executed, balanced and rich - worth the £12.50 price tag but it would have been even better to have something to cut its irony richness. The background notes of cardamon gave it an additional depth. The man had Korean barbeque lamb, cooked pink. It also was served with mash, sauteed kale, all of which had the hint of Aniseed. So yumyumyum.

This was all washed down with a nice bottle of Veilles Vignes Baron de Baussac, from the French Languedoc region, whose deep cherry character can stand up to such intense and meaty mains.

The upshot is that it is definitely worth a try. Good wine list, good cooking skills, nice warm menu and unpretentious and friendly staff.

We had stopped at the Magdelene Arms for a pre-dinner drink, and it was heaving. Now I have eaten there many times, but the Oxford Blue could be a serious contender. If it invests in getting its name out a bit more, provides cosier seating, and changes up its menu regularly, this place could buzz. I wish it luck - east Oxford is starting to attract some great eateries, so it is no time for any contender to rest on its laurels.

Joroley10 Mar 2012

Had a great night at The Oxford Blue. The food was delicious, had the vegetarian platter to start and everything on it was really tasty, especially liked the home made hummous and artichoke hearts. Had a very tasty spicy soup for my main and a tangy lemon and almond tart for dessert. You can get a lot of wines by the glass and they make a suggestion of which wine goes with which dish. Very nice decor and friendly staff.

Holly3 Jan 2012

Just come back from having a great meal at the Oxford Blue. We had a really imaginative vegetarian starter plater. Great value and flavours. My Mussel Chowder was extremely tasty. Five of us ate and we all said what delicious food and wine we had. We will be back!

3 Jan 2012

The new Oxford Blue is fantastic! Great ambience, good beer and amazing food! We had the Oxfordshire Venison and also the Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Artichokes, which was nothing short of superb. Matched wines an added bonus, and can say that the Pinot Noir goes exceptionally well with the gnocchi too.

Highly recommended.

GrasshopperDD13 Dec 2011

I would highly recommend this pub for anyone who's after consistently fantastic food, great value for money, superb atmosphere, good music, unpretentious, friendly staff, and if you're into sports...even better! Their food is of extremely high standard for a pub, and I would especially recommend their burgers and pies. They are MASSIVE and you get a huge share of chips. Their sunday roasts are really good too and clearly popular as every time I have been there the place is packed and almost everyone's having one of their sunday roasts.

L27 Oct 2007

This is a great find. A pub that caters well for it's locals but also for the student population of Oxford. If you like to watch sport, chat to friends or have some good food then this is for you.There's standing room at the bar, comfy sofas, a couple of booths, tables and a newly refurbished outdoor seating area that's undercover. Staff are young chatty and friendly and add to the overall atmosphere of the pub. They have managed to create a pub that is neither old and stuffy nor too like the chain bars. It lies somewhere inbetween with a unique character all of its own. The food is good quality, classic pub grub that has been brought up to date. The Sunday roasts stand out for the local area.

Woody16 Oct 2007

Great pub that doesn't get the recognition it deserves. It's kind of like a down-to-earth, less pretentious All Bar One on a small scale. Good burgers and Sunday roasts, friendly staff, small but cosy patio garden at rear for summer and flat-screen TV at rear for sport. Only minor gripe would be the slightly drafty front bar area that lacks a little character but overall a quality pub that is deserving of high praise.

Joe B14 Mar 2007

Our sports team goes here for food and beer after we finish. It is really a nice pub, great food, good sports screens that are not too overbearing, and very friendly staff.
Really top place.

Tom11 Oct 2006

What a great new/refurbished pub on the Oxford scene! Excellent staff, very comfy booth and armchair seating. Excellent food. A real gem near busy Cowley Road.

15 Sep 2006

OK, so I have to admit that I never went there for a pint under the old management so I can't compare BUT as far as today goes it's brilliant.

Friendly, good looking staff who are always ready and waiting to fill up your pint glass and seem to change your ashtray at least every 4.5 minutes. Great selection of beers and spirits.

The main bar is full of sunlight, clean and well laid out with lots of big leather sofas surrounding widescreen tvs together with big country-kitchen armchairs and tables. If you want to sit in the garden, there are no dodgy smells or noises. So long as the British weather permits, you are bathed in sunlight almost all day and there are plenty of benches to sit on.

The food is FANTASTIC. Every Sunday sees everyone who knows about it, pouring in for a sample of the vast and delicious menu. service is prompt, the food is always served hot and to top it off the prices are more than reasonable.